Civil War
by Falconpawnch7
Summary: The Guardians VS The Dark Legion. A war that has been going on for hundreds of years. Witness Knuckles take on the Legion at the tail end of the War, and his journey into the future to become the Guardian of the Floating Island.
1. Civil Disobedience

Mobius a world far removed from our own, here, 8000 years before the story you know, there was Echidnopolis, the capitol of Echidna Society. A Futuristic paradise with the most advanced structures in the universe. Here they made flying vehicles known as Streaking Pashas* that graced the sky with relative ease. They had limits however, and where they could not go there were transport vessels and video screens. The buildings rose above the clouds and were only out-reached by the high security Prison vessel. Disorder was no stranger to the city, and despite the vallient efforts of the E.S.T, it thrived in the underbelly of the city. It's social class system was no where near perfect, Most who couldn't get a job fell into human services. But even with all it's flaws, it excelled, beyond comparison, and no one ever complained. People walked the sidewalks without fear of getting robbed, children played VR games, and even the police officers were just normal citizens when you got down to it. You would never guess they were involved in the strangest sort of Civil War ever. The sort of Civil War that had no clear battles, that is until that one fateful day. It all began one summer day atop the roof of the Aurorium. Knuckles and the Chaotix had gathered to meet with Commander Lee-Me of the Echidnopolis Security Team in order to discuss the Legal Ramifications of destroying a building. "Chaotix, Role Call." Knuckles was bored out of his mind, he knew that this would culminate with yelling in his face, Julie blowing smoke in Lee-Me's face, and them getting off with a warning. The Chaotix weren't anymore excited than him, when there names were called they simply raised their hands. Vector was playing a VR game, Espio was polishing his kunai, Mighty was falling asleep, the bees, Charmy and Saffron, were flying around not giving any mind to the people bellow, and Julie just sat there messing with her lighter. "Alright we're all here, begin with the yelling." Knuckles sat and waved to Lee-Me to start. Her face got a little red with anger and she started, " First off how did seven people with no demolition expertise, zero sticks of TNT, and no clear opponent with any of this, destroy one of the most stable buildings in the city?" They all looked at each other and shrugged, "Just don't make them like they used to I guess." Knuckles looked at her hoping she'd buy it. She got even more red in the face and burst out, "THAT IS NOT A VALID EXCUSE FOR DESTROYING THE ANGEL-LA MEMORIAL BUILDING!" Julie finally got her lighter working and spoke, "What is a valid excuse?" Lee blew up, "I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE THE ENEMY DID IT, OR, A EARTHEQUAKE GENERATOR!" Knuckles spoke again, "What if it was an earthquake? Hypothetically caused by me?" Lee went ballistic on him and he regretted fueling her anger. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO IN THERE? YOU WERE FIGHTING NORMAL TROOPERS, NOT THE GRANDMASTER!" Julie had enough, she got up and got in Lee's face. She took out her lit cigarette and blew smoke in her face. "How about this, you don't mess with us today, and we won't mess with you for a week, that sound fair?" Lee stood there glaring in Knuckles general direction. "Fine, but next time you won't be so lucky!" She stormed off in the direction of her cruiser and took off. Knuckles leaned in and whispered to Julie, "Do you think she's still mad about us stealing that cruiser?" Julie shook her head and said, "Nah, we returned it in one piece, I think she's more upset I was able to fly it even with all the theft prevention systems." Vector turned off his game and saw Knuckles and Julie really close to each other, and it bugged him. "Did something happen between you two that you're not telling us? Before you two used to sit with other people, but now you only sit with each other. And if something did happen can I post it on our blog?" Espio kicked Vector in the back of his head. "Vector! Obviously this is something private for just the two of them!" Vector turned to Espio and said, "Our followers deserve to know what happens in our personal lives if they want to keep up to date on our activities. Why do you think my dating tips are so popular?" Knuckles spoke up, "Two things. One, we were going to tell you anyways that we've become one, Husband and Wife, recently. Two, Vector you know the Blog is for people who want to stop the leigon, not score a date. Which no one will following your crappy advice." Knuckles pulled out his holo-phone and began to draft an update, "Julie, what are the numbers looking like?" Julie let out a long puff of smoke and said with a beam of pride, "Another thousand people joined the resistance force in the eastern empire, the underground rebellion in the Legion has wormed it's way into every level of its infrastructure, and the Teenage Anarchist known as the Demi-Gods have decided they like us better and are lending us their numbers." She tossed the butt of her cigarette over the edge and continued, "At this rate the Legion will need to pull a miracle out of its Ass in order to save itself from being destroyed." Knuckles finished typing and posted it to the blog, "Thank you Julie, our followers will be thrilled to know we're that much closer to victory." Knuckles put his arm around her and smiled, today was going great! Vector put his VR game back on and said, "If you need me, I'll be defeating Mondarra the Wicked."

Pravada looked out over the city, it seemed smaller from this high up. "Driver, how much further till the docking bay?" The Driver looked at him and said, "Well the Prison Freighter is a big ship sir, it could be a few minutes at the legal cruising speed of your vessel." Pravada relaxed, he had time. "I wonder why Benedict wanted to meet here instead of the Grand Conservatory." Pravada thought. He shrugged it off as they continued their drive. At last they reached the Docking Bay, where they were waved in. Benedict stood waiting for them, "Sir." He said with a bow. "Councilor Benedict." Pravada said with a nod. Benedict continued, "We received a threat from who we can only assume to be the Grandmaster of the legion, stating that council is to be made dead. I already sent word ahead to the others, but they seem to be confident in their safety. Xexin came here anyways to help protect you." They got in an elevator pod and began to move towards the bridge. "I'll assign the Guardian to the matter of protection of the others. Word of this incident must not get out, we need to keep the people hopeful for victory. As my ancestor said, 'I will be the leader of all of the empire, or none of it.' And it shall be all." The elevator stopped and Pravada got out. As he walked off Benedict smiled to himself, "Bold words for a dead man. Captain, get me the Commander." The Captain salted and ran off.

Knuckles relaxation was interrupted by a beep. "Oh for the love of! Somebody better be dying!" He looked at his newest message and frowned. "What is it?" Julie looked concerned. Knuckles shook his head, "Nothing I can't handle. Just have to babysit the council." He got up and stretched, "Lucky for me it's just my dad and Antebellum today." Julie grabbed his arm and said, "What do you mean you? No way are you leaving me behind!" Knuckles smiled and said, "I'd love to, but the odds are I'll be stationed on a couch in Antebellum's room in the Grand Conservatory." Julie said, "Wouldn't you rather me be on that couch with you?" Neither of them noticed Vector drafting an entry in the background. "Sex Scandal" he whispered. Knuckles said, "I would love that, but my dad will be there, and we both know he doesn't sleep." Julie nodded and he continued, "Besides, isn't tonight your parents anniversary?" Julie's eyes shot open, "CRAP! I forgot to get them a gift!" She took off and jumped off the roof sending a signal with her Holo-Phone. Her Sky-Cycle raced up and caught her and she rocketed off. Knuckles walked to the edge and turned to Vector, the only one awake, "Vector, you're in charge of clean up." With that he jumped off the roof and into the Garden bellow.

Zia-Co was a simple woman. She was the best female fighter in Gladiatos, Echidnopolis's favorite sport. She was engaged and made good money. But if you asked her what she did besides sporting, she'd never talk to you again. Mostly because if she did the Dark Legion would kill her Husband-to-be. "I'm in position." She mumbled into her headset. Some might call her a forced inside agent, she did things for the legion in exchange for her fiancés safety. Tonight she had to assassinate the council. "Good, send in the kill drone." The voice of her moderator droned. She pressed a few buttons on the kill drones head and it came to life. It flew off and after musing how dragon like it looked she said into her earpiece, "Do I get him back now?" The voice came back cold and sinister, "We have no further use for either of you, goodbye." At that moment thousands of volts of Electricity came through the headset causing her to scream in pain as it killed her. It ended as fast as it started and her lifeless body fell from the roof. In its place a tall cybernetic warrior materialized. "Adios." He said coldly.

Knuckles sat on the couch at Antebellum-Li's apartment, and apparently he was the only one who needed questioning. "Have you been practicing your abilities? Have you been reading the history scrolls? Have you familiarized your self with the streets of Echidnopolis?" Locke bombarded. Also Knuckles apparently wasn't the only annoyed party there. "Have you ever looked up the word insufferable, Councilor Locke? Because you are the embodiment of it!" Antebellum was obviously not thrilled about the company she was hosting. "Calm down Councilor Antebellum, it's only one night. After which this whole ordeal will be over." Locke said reassuringly. She didn't look too thrilled about that either. Knuckles was busy manipulating Chaos to float a stone above his palm. "This is so fucking stupid. Why can't I just punch people and be done with it?" Knuckles griped. Antebellum shot him a look warning him to watch his tongue and Locke chuckled, "Spectre finds this skill quite handy, you should learn it if you want to impress people." He levitated a fruit from the kitchen into his hand taking a bite out of it. "Fruit Manipulation, really useful." Knuckles said sarcastically. Antebellum sighed and told the two to go in the kitchen so she could change and go to bed. Locke nodded and motioned for Knuckles to follow. "What does she sleep on the Fucking couch?" a shoe flew through the air and hit Knuckles in the back of the head. "AGH! THAT FUCKING HURT!" Locke dragged the raging Knuckles into the Kitchen and closed the door. "You work with jerks, you know that right." Locke walked to the table and said, "One day you will to." Knuckles followed, "I meant the bait." Locke looked slightly surprised, "You knew?" Knuckles nodded, "Why else would you want me to leave a target alone? Did you actually plan ahead to when the assassin shows up?" Locke nodded, "We catch him." In the bedroom Antebellum had just settled in for bed. It was a warm night so she opened the window a crack. Outside the Kill Drone hovered, slowly placing deadly spider drones into the room. Stealthily they crawled to the target, making sure to avoid the security camera's watchful eye. They crawled on top of the bed and prepared to strike with their buzzsaw mouths dripping with poison. They never saw the sword coming. Knuckles had sliced both the drones in half before his father even entered the room. Locke saw the drone out of the corner of his eye and leapt after it crashing through the window. "Dammit! Stay here Councilwoman!" Knuckles said before leaping over the stairwell banister and down to the main level. "My idiot father's gonna get himself killed!" He hopped in his Streaking Pasha and revved after them. Locke was fairing well, he had caught up to the drone and was now riding it, knowing it would return to its master.

Xyco saw the Guardian riding on the drone. "Shit." He said scrambling to activate his Arm Cannon. He aimed with precision hoping he'd go unnoticed. He fired the shot and got in his Streaking Pasha.

Locke fell. The explosion of the drone had disoriented him, and he couldn't get a grasp of where he was. He saw bright lights as he fell, some moving up, some moving sideways. He felt himself hitting upholstery and a voice sounding in his ear, "You idiot! Espio could've hacked the thing if you hadn't gone and gotten it blown up! Now I have to chase this idiot!" Locke's vision refocused and he saw he was in the passengers seat of his sons Streaking Pasha, with his son driving like a maniac. "Hold on he's diving!" Knuckles said going into a steep dive. Locke watched as they buzzed past other Streaking Pashas, a few EST vehicles, and saw they were heading straight for a transport frigate. "Knuckles, you can't make that gap, pull up! PULL UP!" But Knuckles didn't pull up. Instead he pitched sideways and flew through the tiniest gap possible. "Pull up he says. Fuck that!" Locke looked at Knuckles and asked, "Where is he going? Knuckles pushed a button and said, "NOT FAR!" Knuckles launched out of the Pasha and dived for the assassin's. "I hate it when he does that!" Locke said trying to steer out of the dive. Knuckles landed on the roof and shouted, "PULL OVER!" He punched through the roof and attempted to grab the guy, but instead pulled out the control mechanism. "Ah Shit." Knuckles said just before flying off and landing against a wall. The Assassin ejected and ran off. Locke caught up with Knuckles and they gave chase, eventually the came to a Black Market soup stall. "Go and search around, you know this place." Knuckles looked at Locke, "Where are you going?" Locke pointed at the stall, "For a Drink." Locke sat down and ordered a drink. An Echidna next to him opened his coat and said, "Hey pal, needs some Mary Jane?" "You don't want to sell me that." "I don't wanna sells you this." "You need to go home and rethink your life." "I needs to go homes and rethinks me life."

Knuckles walked around looking around at the people. There was Sleezy Joe at the Contraband Electronics stand, he was trying to sell a Super VR Headset to an unsuspecting young Echidna. There was Madame Rylon and her many "dancers", and of course Mad Mike, with his weapon trade. No sign anywhere of the Assassin. Just then he saw him, a tall cyborg, approaching the stall. He stopped behind Locke and prepared to fire, when Locke jumped up and punched the guy in the face. A murmur of confusion erupted. "Easy Guys, just Guardian shit. Go back to your drinks."

Pravada sat on the bridge waiting for Benedict and Xexin to return from the dining hall. He had just received word that the assassin had been caught and they were all safe. A guard was posted at the door and had almost drifted of when Benedict entered, with Xexin trailing. "One would think the status of our troops would be more to my liking. I am the Councilor of War after all." Benedict said looking at the Guard. Lee-Me came through a different door and saluted them, "Councilors, Sirs." Benedict looked in her direction, "Ah, there you are Commander. I was beginning to wonder where you went. I have a mission for you. I need you to ensure the safety of a vessel headed out of our Empire to chart the world of the future. They'll need security and I'm giving them you." Lee-Me was shocked, "But Sir, I'm needed here." Benedict laughed, "No, I think that the Guardian can handle the city without you for a few days. The ship will be returned here after 24 hours of Future exploring, that is if it doesn't crash." Lee-Me wanted to argue, but she couldn't defy this order, it wasn't in her. "Yes Sir." She saluted and left. Pravada took this opportunity to speak, "Benedict the Assassin was caught! We're free to return home!" Xexin scoffed, "We're never free in this business." Pravada waved off Xexin negative attitude and continued, "We dodged a bullet today men. The death of any Council Member would be devastating, The Legion would no doubt take advantage of our momentary weakness and strike!" A shot rang through the air, Pravada looked down to see a hole in his chest. The guard pulled his gun, but was too late. Another Shot. Pravada fell to the ground. "Foolish Pravada, the others were to be mercy killings! They were denied this mercy by you though, for you were the only one who had to die, and you were the only one who played chicken!" Benedicts laugh echoed through the room as Xexin fired the last shot at Pravada's head.

Julie woke with a start, someone was in her apartment. She peaked into the living room and saw Knuckles nodding off in the Arm Chair. "Knux? Why didn't you come sleep with me?" He bolted upright, which sent a jolt through Julie, "WHA-? Oh… Julie, it's you." He got up and stretched, "I didn't want to wake you so I just sat down and slept here." One look though and she could tell he hadn't slept a wink. She shook her head and told him she was going to take a shower. When she returned he was asleep on the couch. She smiled and climbed on top of him, "Sleep as long as you want, I'll be right here." She kissed his Cheek and went to grab the news. The Digi-Pad showed up right on schedule with a headline that made her drop her hair brush, "HEAD COUNCILOR FOUND DEAD!" The story went on for a bit and ended with Benedict blaming the lack of security. "Oh shit… if Knuckles reads this he'll freak!" She looked at him, the steady rise and fall of his breath had not been disturbed. She flipped through some othe articles and found Benedict had been named Pravadas successor. She nearly screamed. This was bad, this was very bad. She needed to sit down before she attacked someone. "Perhaps some TV will calm my mind." She pressed a button and her Holo-Screen came on. She toggled the Volume and selected a movie from her DVR. "The world outside can wait for an hour or two." She said as the film started. She yawned and said, "Dear Aurora please don't let this be that boring."

Benedict issued a City-Wide lock down, all Citizens would be required to return to their homes until let out. He turned to his Holo-Phone and issued a call. "Benedict here, all loose end and I'm in control. Xexin has been placed at the rendezvous point and is awaiting the troops. Activate all Sleepers and send in the Dark Brotherhood." A smooth female voice full of domination and seduction sounded on the other end, "I already sent the Brotherhood, I even removed that silly little dampening system on their powers." Benedict flipped, "ARE YOU MAD WOMAN?" The voice replied, "Yes, but I've only sent two." A maniacal laugh echoed on the other end before she regained herself, "Lien-Da out."

Knuckles woke to find Julie asleep in his arms. After he took a minute to admire her beauty he noticed the power was out. "Hey Julie, wake up." Julie stirred, "Huh? Knu-Knux?" She said, her voice cracking with tiredness. "Why are the lights out?" he asked pointing up to emphasize his confusion. She rubbed her eyes and replied, "It's a lock down. Pravada was killed. Benedict has taken over." Knuckles looked concerned, "I thought Lee would have that." Julie shook her head, "She's disappeared. Like Xena, only under more mysterious circumstances." Knuckles thought, "She didn't kill him, she probably was sent away on a mission." Julie nodded and turned on the news as per-regulation. "To the Chaotix, The People have a message for you. After a battle, do you look back at what you've done? The damage and death you cause? Do you know of the pain that you cause?" Julie was stunned, since when did the people talk like that? "I can't believe they think that! We have told them that once you see someone die, you're never the same, but when you kill someone you're haunted forever!" Julie was ready to throw her door open and tell everyone they were wrong when a strange gas started coming in through the vents. "Knuckles?" Julie asked. "Knock-Out Gas, you know I hate it." Julie instantly covered her mouth and nose, but it was too late. She was beginning to feel drowsy and swayed like she was drunk. Knuckles had also gotten a good amount, but his body was fighting it. "Julie, don't let go!" He held out his hand and she took it. He pulled her close to him and locked his arms around her. She wasn't going anywhere without him now. She laid her head on his chest as the gas finished doing it's job.

A tome of voice buzzed in her ear. "SHUT UP!" she yelled zapping the closest prisoner. "Shade, come hither." Shade, as she was reffered to, came to her master's side. "Master Ix." She bowed. "Is everything ready?" Ix asked. She bowed lower, "Yes master, we have toe woman in irons and the Brotherhood of Guardians busy. There is only one complication." Ix narrowed his eyes in boredom, "Let me guess, the Prisoner won't release the girl." Shade answered, "Yes master." Ix stood, "I have a plan for that, and for any other stunts he may pull." He smiled evilly, this was a glorious day for the Legion, the day of triumph!

"Guardian?" The voice was near, perhaps he was still in the apartment with Julie. He felt her warmth against him, so it was entirely possible. "Guardian have you been killed? Why did they throw you in here?" Or maybe it wasn't. He found the strength he needed and opened his eyes. He was looking at a brown echidna with a Mohawk chained to a wall. "The Hell are you?" The Echidna bowed his head respectfully, "My name is Sharza, and I am a prisoner of war here." Were you in the VA?" Knuckles asked, hoping he could get some information on his cousin from him. "No, I wasn't yet, but given another day I would have been." Sharza looked apologetic, but Knuckles waved it off. "It's okay, I was curious." He busied himself by looking at Julie. Her firm features were unchanged, except her rare smile, it was accented by the light stemming from the ceiling. He peaked inside her mind and saw that she was happy and at peace. That is until she woke up. Instinctively she tried to leap up only to be stopped by Knuckles arms. "WHA-? LET GO!" She shouted. But he didn't. "If I don't let go, they can't take you, and if they can't take you, then we have more of a chance to get out of here." This didn't make her happy, but she did relax a bit. Just then the door flew open and an Orange girl stood there. "Guardian and girl, you will come with me!" Knuckles stood in defiance, "And if we don't?" The girl looked un-amused, "Ever the smart ass, aren't we Guardian?" She walked over and punched him in the face. "AUGH! THAT'S MY NOSE!" She stood waiting in the door way. "If you don't come with me now, then I will not hesitate to kill you both." She walked over and stabbed Sharza with an Energy Blade. "Augh!" She twisted it and he screamed in pain. "Just like this." She said pulling the blade out and letting him bleed to death. Julie wasn't happy, "You bitch, HE WAS INNOCENT OF ALL THIS!" The girl turned to her, "Like anyone cares who is or not! This is war not debate! Blood spills and people die! You should know this more than anyone else!" Knuckles had had it. "ENOUGH! We'll go with you if you leave her alone!" She nodded and they followed Knuckles taking Julie's hand so no one would grab her. "I'm sorry but she has to wait in the waiting room." The female said, catching them both off guard and locking Julie in a cell. "YOU BITCH! LET ME OUT SO I CAN KICK YOUR ASS! KNUCKLES BREAK THE FUCKING DOOR!" But she had already forced Knuckles in an elevator and sent him down. The elevator went slow, and it had a window that looked outside. What he saw would forever burned in his memory, and the one word that even approached what is was, was one of his favorites, Slaughter. Men, Women, Children, it didn't matter. They killed them with no hesitation. Brothers killed Brothers. Fathers killed Sons, and Mothers killed Daughters. He threw up, not a lot, not a little, but he did. He recalled the words of Nestor the Wise and grew angry, "Was it a joke Nestor? Calling us perfect? Did you do it for laughs? DID YOU? LOOK AT WHAT WE'VE WROUGHT! DO YOU CALL THIS PERFECT?" At last the elevators stopped and he got off. He found the female waiting with Energy Cuffs. He allowed her to put them on his wrists and was led into a large room with tons of monitors. "Excellent work Shade, I didn't expect him to comply to the cuffs." The female, Shade, bowed and stepped to the side. The voice he heard had come from a chair. "You are probably wondering who I am, aren't you? Well, allow me to introduce myself. I am Ix, this is Shade. We are the first and newest memebers of the Dark Brotherhood, respectively of course." Knuckles took him in, he was old with a long white beard and a hunched back. He carried a funny looking stick and his fingers were long and boney. Knuckles could see the age in his eyes, along with a poorly hidden hatred. "What do you want?" Knuckles asked bluntly. "To get you to join the winning team! We'd hate to see someone with your potential go." Ix smiled, revaling rotted teeth and black gums. "What if I don't want to?" Knuckles said defiantly. Ix pressed a button on his chair, "It isn't a choice. If you say no, we shall motivate you to join." His mother had appeared on the monitor. She was beaten and bruised, her dress was torn off at the waist, and her eye was swollen shut. Her mouth was bleeding as she mumbled something to herself. "Kill her." Ix said into a microphone. A Dark Legionary began to approach her and she started to scream, "NO! NO! I HAVE TO FIND HIM! I WON'T LOSE HIM AGAIN! KNUCKLES!" The Legionary turned on his energy blade. "Shut up." He said running it through her heart. "K-Knuckles…" Laura said before dying. "LAURA!" Wymancher had entered the screen rushing at the man who killed Laura, only to be shot several times before dying. Knuckles was frozen, waiting for Anger and Sorrow to come and wash over him. But they never came, instead a dark vengeance made itself known. Without warning he burst free of the energy cuffs and grabbed Shade. "What are you doing?" She shouted, "SHUT UP! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO SAID NO ONE CARES WHO DIES!" He yelled back. Knuckles shifted his grip so that he was holding her near the base of her spine. Ix looked bored, "Are you going to try and use her as a shield?" Knuckles shook her, "No, I'm going to BREAK HER!" Knuckles squeezed tightly, Shade screamed as pressure was applied, "PLEASE! MERCY! MERCY! I SURRENDER!" But Knuckles didn't stop. His face, twisted in extreme rage, was hard as a rock. At last after what seemed like hours to Shade, there was a bone chilling crunch as Shades spine was shattered. Knuckles dropped her and moved towards Ix who was staring at Shades lifeless body. "You killed her… but that's against your morals!" Knuckles pointed at the screen he watched his mother die on and shouted, "Take a good look at that screen! Why should I follow my morals when you have none?" Knuckles grabbed Ix by the throat and lifted him in the air. "Even if I did, this killing won't stop." Knuckles squeezed harder, "I'll stop it, the way I should have all along! I swear to Aurora, my mother, Chaos and all the gods and goddesses, that I will kill any who fly the banner of the Dark Legion!" Knuckles squeezed Ix's throat so hard his head flew off in a bloody explosion. "Burn in Hell Ix."

"LET ME OUT!" Julie was getting annoyed. One second she was safe, on her way to the action, the next she was locked in a cell, with no clue what was going on. "Knuckles you better hurry and breakout. " She leaned against a wall a pulled her cigarettes out of her secret pocket and lit one, "He has until I finish this before I break out some other way, and find him." Halfway through her smoke the door was ripped of it's hinges. "Knux?" Julie asked concerned. He didn't speak but his eyes told it all. Something bad had happened and it was going to take a lot to fix. They went down the hallway freeing the other prisoners. They found the Chaotix, minus Mighty, in a minimum security cell. They had no idea what had happened, but they also didn't say much. Even Vector was silent on this occasion. After they had led the others outside the team turned to Knuckles and asked, "What now?" Knuckles looked at them all, "The Legion has attacked our home, our family, our friends. We're going to do what we do best, we're going to show them the door! CHAOTIX, WE'RE GOING TO WAR!


	2. Civil Disagreement

When the wall of Echidnopolis fell the Dark Legion moved forward with incredible force, overwhelming the E.S.T and taking over the Air Traffic Control Tower. The few people that were outside and survived the assault went underground waiting for a rallying call, a symbol of hope, anything. But mostly they prayed for their Guardian to save them.

"WE HAVE HIM PINNED! ADVANCE!" The legion captain shouted at his troops. A hail of laser fire flew out of their Semi-Auto Laser Rifles, impacting against the large piece of rubble that Knuckles was using as a barrier. "Shit, I need a way out." The young guardian looked around, trying to find a solution. At last he saw it, a low hanging steel girder that lead up to a fragmented wall he could use as a ladder. Now all he had to do was stop the laser fire. "Well, no one lives forever old friend." He said patting the rubble. He got into position, focusing his power into his arms, and shifting his weight towards his center. He moved like lightning, knocking the rubble forward, flying at an incredible pace, as he jumped at the girder. As he landed the legionaries started to jump out of the rubbles path. "STAY ON TARGET" The captain shouted, unaware of the rubble until it landed on top of him with a resounding thud. Knuckles smiled at the sound of a job well done and continued to the top of the building. When he was on the roof he took a second to take in the sight of his city, fires raging in the distance, and wholesale slaughter of anyone who supported him, or what he stood for. The upper sections of the city remained unchanged, the video boards flying around broadcasting Benedict 24/7. "This city has committed crimes against the most high Dmitri, and therefore must be cleansed. Those who support the Guardians shall be killed. Those who support the Great Dmitri will be spared. Hang the sign of Dmitri in your windows, or on your door and you will be passed over. HAIL THE GREAT DMITRI!" Knuckles glared at the video Benedict, "You're next traitor, I swear to Aurora I will find you and end your life!"

Knuckles continued along the roof tops, avoiding any patrolling ships, until he came to the Aurorium. As he entered a female voice sounded out of what seemed like nowhere, "Quoth the Raven?" Knuckles smiled and answered the voice, "Nevermore." Julie-Su stepped out of her hiding place and hugged him, "Thank Aurora you remembered the code, for a second there I was afraid I'd have to shoot you." Knuckles laughed, "You know me well, I wrote it down on my glove. Are the others here yet?" Julie opened the trap door and started down the ladder, "Yes, you're the last one back. I'm surprised, you usually get done first." Knuckles waited till she was clear and dropped down, closing the door behind him, "I got held up on the way back. I swear the traffic on the streets just keeps getting worse." Julie pulled him off to the side and looked at him, "I know you're hurting after what happened, you don't have to hide it from me with humor. I'm your mate, I'm here to share your burdens, not help you bury them." Knuckles sighed "We'll talk about it later, right now the guys are waiting, and they need to see that I'm not a wreck." Julie nodded, and they continued into the empty cistern that served as their encampment. "Why is our code stuff I haven't seen since high school?" Vector complained. "Like you ever finished." Mighty jested. "Knuckles explained that the legion doesn't have the literature that we do, so we are using that to our advantage." Espio said. Charmy flew around with a book in his hands, "Then it's a good thing me and Saffron rescued the library then." Saffron blushed and said, "We didn't do it all ourselves Charmy." Knuckles cleared his throat and began speaking, "No one's going to say hello?" "Knux!" Came the reply of Vector and Mighty. "How'd everyone's missions go?" Knuckles continued. Vector held up a bag of chips, "Got most of the Legions communication network here, hurt like hell when they tried to force a reboot." Charmy and Saffron spoke next, "We've been reading the works of the Prophet Jeza-Ki, nothing important yet, but they have predicted that this would start." "They also said that there is more than one traitor in the council." Knuckles nodded. "Espy?" Espio threw a file on the table, "Locations of all their stockpiles. There are more than previously thought." Mighty threw a mechanical limb on the table, "Newest model, rigged to blow if they betray the legion. Those poor Rookies." Knuckles nodded, "My Target is dead. But he left behind the most interesting data disk, turns out there's an old army store house that they've left alone because they didn't need the equipment inside. But little do they know, this is the storehouse where we stashed all our spare supplies from the last attack by Dmitri. But in order to get there, we may need our weapons. Julie, did you succeed?" Julie smiled and hopped of the crate she was sitting on. "I freed some slaves and had them help me get it back here. I do believe you'll be pleased with the contents." Knuckles pried open the lid and looked inside. "We've got our toys back boys and girls. Vec, catch!" He tossed Vectors Sonic Walkman at him. Knuckles continued to pull things out, like Mighty's sister's locket, and hand them out. "Alright! My Swords, and Shovel Claws are in here!" Knuckles put the Shovel Claws on and began to make punching motions. Julie smiled at him and gave a thumbs up. He returned the gesture and tossed her a pouch full of her plasma weaponry. He then turned to the others, "It's Crunch Time boys and girls, next stop, the Grand Conservatory!"

Candles lit the dim dining hall of the Grand Conservatory. At a long table sat four shadowy figures eating dinner. The one at the head of the table spoke, his voice deep and rough, "I assure you Grandmaster, we are focusing our efforts into keeping the people down. A revolt is not possible." The Grandmaster slammed his fist on the table, "Then what have you done about the young Guardian? Surely you don't expect him to sit by and let us wage our war." The only woman at the table scoffed, blood dripping from her mouth, "If that was true you would have killed him by now! Let me take care of the little brat!" The Grandmaster shook his head, "Absolutely not! Not after what you did at the Orphanage!" The woman looked at him and spoke, "They deserved to die, they were all cowering in fear, not fitting of life at all." The Grandmaster struck her across the face, as she laughed madly, "ENOUGH! I will not stand for one of your episodes tonight!" The man at the far end of the table laughed, "If you need to strike your Kommisar, then you're in trouble!" The man at the head stood, "Xexin! We treat our guests with respect. Need I remind you that the enemy is the Guardian?" The woman had started to speak to herself, "Kill the baby, she is not fit to live. I'll do it for you daddy, if you give me the egg…" The Grandmaster swept her cloak over her and turned back to the man at the front, "So how do we plan to catch the Guardian off-guard?" Xexin chuckled, "Well sir, we have taken a precious token of his, and set up a trap. If he says yes, we win; if not then Benedict is prepared to fight." Benedict nodded, "Kragorok, you need not worry, we shall take care of this. Focus on the conquest of Echidnopolis. The Guardian shall not win."

The Chaotix exited the underground chambers near the Aurorium's garden, which lay in ruins. "We're about 7 miles east and 4 miles above our target. We'll be going in groups to minimize the chance that the legion will catch the entire group. If you do get spotted, either run or take them all out. When you reach the store house hid in a nearby building until the others arrive. Charmy, Saffron, you're team A, shrink to flight mode and fly straight there. Got it?" Charmy nodded and Saffron spoke, "Yes Knuckles." Julie patted them on the shoulder, and accepted hugs from each. "Be safe you two, I don't want to lose any soldiers." They nodded at Julie and flew off. Knuckles watched as they shrank down and flew off. "Alright, Vector, Espio, and Mighty, you're Team B, you need to be fast and get there and make sure it's safe for the Bee's to land. Got it?" Espio nodded and disappeared. Mighty gave a thumbs up, "Don't worry man, we got this. Right Vec?" Vector gave the rock on sign and shouted, "OH YEAH!" They jumped onto the building next to them and headed off. "That leaves us Julie. We'll take the long way and draw the enemy from the others. That sound like a sound plan? Julie?" He looked and saw her staring at where Charmy and Saffron flew off. "Knux… are you sure we should be involving the children in this? I mean, they're so small and young …" Knuckles gave her an understanding look and spoke, "You said that I should share my emotions with you, so I will. I don't want to any more than you, but I don't know where to send them that would be safe. I give them the most basic missions; I make sure they have the least chance of getting shot at possible. The Corro-Si incident was a shocker to all of us, but the good that came from it far outweighs the bad, so I prefer not to think about it, or how we all almost died." Julie ran over and hugged him, a tear escaped from her eyes. "'I don't want to lose any soldiers' when I said that to them, I didn't mean soldiers." Knuckles held her tenderly, "I know. You meant family. You've lost so much, that it's not surprising you consider us your family. And I will tell you right now, We will be your family if you want us to be." Julie smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. "Oh and can you do me one favor?" Knuckles smiled, "What's that?" "Don't tell Vector I almost cried"

Vector tried to keep up with Mighty but he was having a hard time. "SLOW DOWN BRO! I WASN'T BUILT FOR DISTANCE!" Mighty laughed, "Then you really should consider a workout routine! We need to be fast if we want to beat the bees!" Vector huffed, "Where the hell is Espio?!" Before an answer could be given a laser burst impacted in front of Mighty's feet. "WHOA!" He jumped in the air and behind a rock. Vector slid to meet him, "Shit! What are we gonna do about these guys?" Mighty thought for a second, "Alright, I can see a blind spot, if we can get there fast enough we can launch a counter attack. How's your flame?" Vector coughed a bit and let a little flame out, "Good." He said. Mighty smirked, "Good. Let's roll!" They dove from their hiding spot and quickly leapt for the blind spot. Vector started to spin in a wheel, letting out flames constantly as he did. Mighty rolled into a ball and hopped in the center. "TIME TO FRY THESE LOSERS!" Vector said as Mighty helped him accelerate towards the small group of legionaries. The small squad kept firing their guns, but the flames dispelled the lasers as the burning wheel headed straight for them. Vector aimed for the squad leader, marked with red bands on his arms, and smashed into him. He was flung back ablaze with fire, as Vector took out other targets. After they finished Mighty hopped out and grabbed Vector, who had stopped his flame. "WHO-HOO!" Vector shouted in triumph. "Alright, let's keep going, I can see Espio's footprints, he went on ahead." The two started back off towards the storehouse, hopping over a roof ledge and ducking into a small ally.

"THERE THEY ARE MEN, AFTER THEM!" The legion commander shouted as Knuckles and Julie-Su ran past their camp. "They saw us." Julie said hopping on Knuckles shoulders. "Perfect." Knuckles said speeding up to his full speed. Julie looked back to get a better shot at the perusing squadrons. "I'm going to go on record stating that this was a stupid plan." She said firing a few shots. "Really? What makes you say that?" Knuckles asked. "Well, think, we'd have a better shot of getting there if you had tunneled through the earth to get us there, instead of splitting us up on the surface." Knuckles smiled, "Where's the fun in that?" He adjusted his grip and jumped a gap in the buildings. "Besides, you always complained that I never really showed you the city." Julie rolled her eyes before firing a crippling blast to a smaller Legionary. "Right, and I suppose this is a date then?" Knuckles laughed, "Only if you want it to be!" He then made an especially long leap to an old highway, jolting Julie in the process. Julie lowered herself down and pointed at him, "Never do that without telling me first." She pushed her hair from her eyes and headed to the drop point. "You sure you got this?" She said looking at the grappling hooks trying to find a bearing. "Of course, they won't even know what hit them. I've been studying the scrolls after all." He kissed her and watched as she jumped down to a pole, "Good luck!" She shouted jumping into the ally. Knuckles turned and whispered a few words to focus his powers. "Chaos Barrier." An invisible barrier appeared before him. He began to draw on wells of power he had never had to before. "Chaos…" The Legionaries finally made it onto the highway and were approaching ready to fire. "BLAST!" Knuckles let the energy loose. The wall of pure Chaos Energy hit the Squads like an Atomic bomb, their bodies were torn apart, and any weaponry they had exploded. Shrapnel and blood impacted the barrier in front of Knuckles as part of his arm crystallized. "Huh, interesting side effect." He broke the crystals with his other arm and smelled the carnage he had created. "Ahhh, the sweet smell of victory. Well Mr. Skull, I'd love to stay, but I have a date to keep with a lovely lady." He laughed to himself then thought, "Wow, I am really desperate for entertainment." He then walked over the ledge and down into the ally bellow. Julie watched as Knuckles fell to meet her. "What took you so long?" Knuckles brushed himself off, "I had to take in the stench of victory. Besides, I'm not that late am I? Julie shook her head smiling, "Come on, the store house is about a mile away, if we hurry we may make it before sundown." Knuckles stopped in his tracks and stared at the wall. "Julie, what does that say?" Julie looked at the wall and gasped, "It says, 'behold the Monster that is the Guardian, see him take the lives of innocent without thought or pause.'" Knuckles nodded, "That's what I thought it said. This could be bad, or it could be a Legion fear tactic." Julie nodded, "Right right… you don't think they still use the gas do you?" Knuckles nodded, "They're probably saving it all for if we get too close to Kragorok. That amount of Fear Gas could be lethal." Julie shuddered, "They are the real monsters." Knuckles stared at the wall, "Yeah. Let's go to the Store House."

The Store House was stocked with all their supplies, from Non-Perishable food items, to some Armor they had found in some old decrepit building. Vector had taken the liberty of polishing and customizing each set. For the Bee's they had found two sets of child's armor, and two daggers. Espio had an old set of Samurai armor from somewhere he wouldn't tell them, and a polished Katana. Mighty had a suit of Armor he had found on a statue representing the era of the Knights of Albion's Round table, and a large Claymore sword. Knuckles had found an old Echidnopolis Guardsmen set of Armor, and was busy putting his Swords on a very long set of chains. Julie had a strange armor Knuckles had identified as the armor of the first batch of Echidnopolis Soldiers. She had also found what Espio called a Mercy Knife. Vector's armor was strange, he had found Armor meant for a small dragon, with many plates that overlaid over others, and they each set on a leather under shirt. The Shoulder guards were large and bulky, but they still they could only cover part of his massive shoulders. The Helm made him look a bit threatening, until he put his headphones back on. Julie shifted in her armor, "I don't like this, these Metal Shorts are not comfortable." Vector laughed at that comment and fell on Espio's toe, "SON OF A BITCH THAT HURTS!" Espio screamed clutching his injured foot. "Julie, why did they make Child armor?" Saffron asked adjusting her helm. Julie looked at Knuckles who was messing with his chain, he understood and answered, "They made it for the Messenger Boys and Girls, and the Unit Drummer. If they detect ordinance in a two foot proximity they close into a protective sphere." Mighty spoke next, "Everyone's been wondering why you're doing that to your swords, can we know why?" Knuckles looked up from them and spoke, "It's so I don't have to get them if I miss." Mighty shrugged, "Makes sense to you I guess." After everyone finished suiting up Knuckles stood on an empty metal crate, "Alright guys, time for the big mission of the week. It's not gonna be easy like the last one. There is no EST to back us up. Our destination is the Grand Conservatory, which is bound to be well guarded. Our goal is to get in and get out while causing as much damage as possible. Rules for this mission, 1; stay together, 2;No one in a robe is allowed to live, if they get out the future missions are in danger, 3; If we find Antebellum or my dad we save them, and rule 4; Benedict is mine."

The dust in the office was thick, sitting a good inch of the file folders sitting on the desk. None of the others dared disturb the chamber of Councilor Locke, no one except Rykor. He sat in the chair behind the desk, which hadn't seen use since Locke got the job a half a year ago. He was reading a letter from his informant underground when his first Lieutenant arrived. She was panting, having run all the way here from the outside of the building, "Commander Rykor, word from our spies, she is heading here with the Guardian." Rykor stood, his long robe glowed crimson in the dim light. "Good. We'll meet them in the main hall. Make sure only our troops are present, and that they are prepared to fight at a moment's notice." She bowed and ran to prepare as Rykor turned to the window and looked out into the ruins. "Soon my sister, soon your dreams for this Legion will be realized."

"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!" Vector shouted as he jumped on a dozing Legionary's head. "Focus on the fight Vector!" Knuckles shouted as he tangled with an exo-suited flame legionary. Vector tuned and blasted a few legionaries with his Sonic Headphones, "Right! Feel the power of a SONIC BOOM!" Knuckles and the legionary's blades collided several times, producing a loud clang every time that rose over the din of the battle. With every parry Knuckles would try for a stab at the heart of the swordsman, only for it to be blocked. "Give it up guardian, this Exo-Suit was built to with stand 50 tons of force. Even you can't defeat that." The Legionary laughed. Knuckles scowled, of course he could beat that, and more, but he didn't want them to know that. It was time for some ingenuity. He looked and saw Vector dueling a Frost Trooper to his right. He smiled, "Can it stand 200 below zero?" He threw his sword at the Frost trooper, impaling her cryo tank, and pulled her over into the flame trooper. He watched as the tank exploded freezing them both in place. He pulled his sword out and stabbed the flame legionary's heart. "Game over, I win." He went to check on the others, no one was hurt, and all the legionaries had been defeated. "Well that was fast. Ready for round 2, enter the building?" He asked everyone. Vector nodded, "Oh yeah, let's show them how messed up things get when they mess with our town!" Knuckles nodded with a smile as he walked to the large double doors to open them. As he approached they suddenly flew open and a note flew out. Julie took it and read it, "We are not armed against you, please enter." Knuckles considered this. "What the hell does that mean?" Vector asked, "It means that they won't attack us and they don't want us to attack them Vec." Julie said coldly. "You cannot be serious! We just kicked their guy's asses! And now we can't?!" Vector said anger obvious in his tone. "Yes, we should!" Julie responded. Vector got in her face, "Witch!" She got in his, "Idiot!" "We go in and do what the note says, no questions." Knuckles cut in. Vector and Julie both turned to him, a look of surprise on both of their faces. "What?" They both asked, Vector in questioning his judgment and Julie in surprise that he actually agreed with the non-violent solution. "I'm curious; this is a tactic I haven't seen before, besides, we're armored. We do what they say." He walked past them into the doors, Julie followed, flipping Vector off as she went. Once everyone was inside the door closed and a tall man in a crimson robe walked forward. "Hello Chaotix, I am Rykor, and this is my lieutenant Eli-Za. I am the Commander of a special sector of Legionarries, perhaps you've heard of them, the UR division?" Julie's eyes lit up, "You mean the Underground Resistance?" Rykor nodded, "Yes, that is us. You're very bright Julie-Su. I don't suppose you remember me though." Julie nodded, "You're Rykor, the man who signed my admittance into the Academy." Rykor nodded, then shook his head. "Oh but I am much more than that. Julie, your mother, was my beloved little sister."

Vector tore into a piece of Flicky meat, "Man, I can't believe that we're stuck out here while the two love birds get a nest all to themselves for dinner with Uncle traitor!" Espio slowly ate some greens and rolled his eyes, "Quit complaining, they're not eating in there, they are planning. Julie would never let them keep us from a meal together. Knuckles maybe…" Vector breathed a bit of fire on his meal, heating it up, "Yeah, and I'm friends with the Ruler of Albion!" Mighty punched him in the arm, "Shut up, they said they'd be out in a moment. At least have some faith in them." Vector grumbled, "I do have faith in them. It's that Rykor guy, that I don't trust." Charmy looked up from his meal, "But he seems so nice, and Knuckles trusts him." Vector picked some meat from between his teeth and swallowed it, "Knuckles trusts the Witch, her 'mother', and so many other people he probably shouldn't. He's lucky we're there to watch his back." Saffron looked miffed, "If all these people are so bad then why have they even bothered to help us?" Everyone was shocked, Saffron was usually so reserved. "Did I miss something? Knuckles asked approaching the table with Julie. "No, nothing at all bro." Vector said, looking disappointed in himself. Knuckles and Julie sat down and picked up their meals. "We have a plan if you'd like to hear it before lunch is over." Julie said, breaking the silence. "Yes, let's hear it." Mighty said trying to cheer everyone up. "Well, it's like this, we're gonna head out in disguise to the door of the Main Chamber, Benedict's holed himself up in there. Vector, you and I are taking front, Julie and Espio Middle, Charmy and Saffron hidden in Julie's robe pocket, and Rykor and Mighty leading up the rear. Once we get to the door, we shed our disguises and burst in. Any questions?" Knuckles said. Espio raised his hand, "That's not a plan, that's improve with stage positions." Knuckles smiled, "Always the Cynic aren't we?"

"This was a bad idea." Espio whispered under his breath. Julie shot a look at him "Shut it Espy, this was what we could come up with in the time we had." Knuckles looked back at them, "At least we're not in shackles. That was plan B if you want to know." Espio shut up and they continued down the hall. Rykor was taking a short cut that few knew about, through the habitation level and down the hallway there was the main door. However before they even got there they were greeted with a horrible sight. "Antebellum…" Knuckles said as he looked upon the horrid sight. Antebellum hung, chunks of skin missing, along with some of her clothing. She was hanging from the arms of a headless statue of Aurora with the words, "Your god is dead, and our god is reborn," written on a banner. But the thing that got to them most was what lay at the feat of the statue, a shattered egg with a red mass of muscle and blood. Espio puked. "That horrid Egg Breaker!" Knuckles shouted into his sleeve. Rykor, "Yes, Lien-Da was especially ruthless with that one." Julie felt a tear slid down her face and quickly wiped it away. "Let's keep going guys, the more we look at this the more it will hurt." Mighty said. "He's right, let's go." Rykor said pulling Knuckles away from the sight. Within five minutes they found themselves at the Main Door, being guarded by Xexin. "Afternoon Rykor, would you care to give me an update on the game?" Xexin asked with a smile. Rykor wasn't moved, "I don't give a damn about your brutalism. The prisoners deserve better than that." Xexin scoffed, "What, you think they deserve a chance? That's an absurd notion!" Knuckles shed his robe and threw a punch, only for Xexin to dodge. "What the?! Knuckles turned to see how Xexin moved so fast only to be shoved through the main doors. "Have fun Guardian, Benedicts been waiting for you. Be sure to play nice." Xexin smiled as the doors shut in Knuckles face. He then turned to face the rest of them when a punch landed square on his jaw. "AUGH! WHO DID THAT?!" Rykor responded with a blow to his gut, then another to his nose. "YOU OLD ARROGENT PRICK! I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT A MISTAKE YOU'VE MADE!" Xexin came at Rykor with a flurry of blows, one to the head, then to the gut, and repeated. Every third hit he threw a punch at an advancing Chaotix member. "YOU LET THEM IN DIDN'T YOU RYKOR?! WELL NONE OF YOU ARE A MATCH FOR ME! I AM THE SUPERIOR FIGHTER!" He threw Rykor on the ground and prepared to finish him off, but a finger tapped his shoulder. "WHAT?!" Mighty hit him so hard he flew up and impacted on a pillar. "Class Dismissed." Mighty said grabbing a rope to tie Xexin up. Julie turned to the large doors and tried the handle. "Locked! Vector Mighty, try the hinges!" Rykor shook his head, "No good. Those hinges are made of the strongest metal. In order to open that door we'd need ten sticks of TNT." Julie looked back at the door, "So what do we do?" Rykor looked at her with a knowing face, "We wait."

Knuckles was in the dark, he had no idea where in the room he was. He could make out a shining Enerjak statue in what might have been the center of the room. He also saw a large lower case t shaped shadow in the far right corner. "Hello Knuckles, long time no see." Benedict's voice rang as if he was everywhere at once. "Nice to see you found the PA system old man. Too bad I have to kill you before you get to experiment." Benedict started laughing, and the statue started moving. "You always were annoying, dodging my restrictions, undermining the council's rulings, making jokes at your hearings. But today, I'm going to put an end to your bad humor, permanently." The lights came on and the statue was revealed to be a giant exo-suit wielding a very large sword. "But before I do that, I have a deal for you. If you surrender to me and pledge yourself to the legion and the great Dmitri, then I will spare you, your friends and return your mother to you." He gestured to the t which had his mother on it in the same position as Antebellum-Li, right down to the dead fetus. "What use is the body to me? She's dead, and there is nothing I can do about that." Benedict laughed again. "You foolish boy, surely you and your rebellious nature know about the forbidden Chaos Technique of Chaos Revive." Knuckles eyes lit up and Benedict smirked before continuing, "But if you decided to continue this fool's errand and kill me, she is dropped into the furnace, where she will become nothing but ashes. Now, choose." Knuckles stood frozen in place, considering the options before him. For five whole minutes he stood, expressionless, before a tear fell from his eye and he spoke, "You ask me to forfeit the lives of many for the life of one. You ask me to go against the people I've sworn to protect. You ask me to abandon my title, and all the values that I've learned. Well here is my answer Benedict, better listen up cause it'll be the last thing you hear properly! I WILL KILL YOU, AND END THIS ENTIRE WAR BEFORE ANYMORE OF MY PEOPLE DIE! CHAOS BLAST!" The wave of energy struck the suit sending it back a few feet. "What the-?" Benedict started before Knuckles charged at him, swords drawn. Benedict quickly raised his to block. CLANG! The sound rang so loud that Benedict's armor's audio receptors burst into flames. "AUGH!" He screamed throwing them off. "YOU LITTLE BRAT! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THAT!" He swung at Knuckles only for him to leap on his blade and run up it, delivering a punch to the face plate. "You might be 10 feet tall, in that fancy suit, but it's not gonna help you." Knuckles said as he jumped back from the swinging arms of the suit. Benedict swung again, scoring a hit on Knuckles chest plate, cracking it open. "Not bad." Knuckles spit out some blood and shed the damaged armor, "I was hoping you'd make this interesting for me." He charged at Benedict again locking his swords against his. "GIVE IT UP GUARDIAN! NOT ONLY DO I HAVE MORE EXPIREIENCE THAN YOU, BUT THIS SUIT WAS BUILT TO OUTMATCH YOU IN EVERY WAY! IT CAN LIFT UP TO 60 TONS! YOU WILL NEVER WIN! I WANT TO SEE THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE FOR MYSELF!" Benedict opened the face hatch just enough so he could see, but Knuckles couldn't attack, only to see Knuckles with a smirk on his face. "What? Why are you smiling?!" Knuckles started to force Benedict back, "Did you really think I'd be a showoff with my power? Oh no, I've saved my best for last!" Knuckles broke through Benedict's sword and tore the arm from the socket. "But sadly, play time is over." Knuckles threw one of his swords around Benedict's remaining arm, and then forced it into the ground. He did the same with the other only wrapping it around his neck. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! IF I DIE, SHE DIES WITH ME!" Knuckles nodded, "But that's what she would want. She would rather me kill you and let her rest in peace more than anything else. I've come to accept that, mostly. But it's her will, not mine that takes precedence here. And so, it's time for you to die." Knuckles tore open the face plate and grabbed Benedicts head near the bottom and pulled. "NOOOOOO!" Benedict screamed as his head was ripped from his body. At the same time Laura-Le fell, along with the dead fetus, into the furnace. "Goodbye mom… I will miss you." Knuckles retrieved his swords and headed towards the large doors.

"We have won this day, but the war is far from over. Rykor has informed me of the location of a group of survivors underground. That's our next destination." Knuckles told the Chaotix over dinner. "When do we leave?" Vector asked, tearing into a sandwich. "Tomorrow, at dawn. We'll head through the old subway tunnels until we reach the settlement. Once we get there, we begin a mass exodus, once the people are out, we go back in and give the legion what's coming to them." Julie leaned on his chest and gave him a kiss. "You were very brave today Knuckles. Benedict's offer must have tempted you." Knuckles nodded, "It did, but I remembered something that you once said to me, 'Loved ones never die, they just move into our hearts.'" Vector laughed, "That's so cheesy!" Mighty punched him in the side, "Come on Vec, let them have their moment together." Knuckles nodded at Mighty and leaned down to kiss Julie. Julie beat him to it however and they locked lips in a romantic kiss. "Chaotix, though anger and rage consume our hearts right now, we must never forget that love holds its resting place there as well. Our number one priority for this next mission, make sure no one dies." 

To Be Concluded…


End file.
